Veteran to perform song about the trauma of combat

Former Army Sgt. Anthony Sarpy said a total of four tours of infantry duty in Iraq and Afghanistan exposed him and others to horrific images of war.

"I basically wrote a song, "The Realities of Combat," about vets who've been in combat and experienced traumatic things, and when they come home they're unable to get over those experiences," said the 31-year-old Waukegan resident.

Sarpy will perform "The Realities of Combat" and another rap song at the Veterans Creative Arts Festival at College of Lake County on March 10.

The festival, which began eight years ago with a half dozen entrants, will have more than 25 participants this year in writing, singing, painting, dancing and crafts, said Sean Gartland, supervisor of recreation therapy at Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago.

On Feb. 13, music therapist Elizabeth La Combe worked with a group of veterans at Lovell, accompanying them on guitar and running audio tracks.

Joining Sarpy as participants at the festival will be veterans John Pearce, the event emcee and entrant in singing and crafts; singer Candy Wasicak, a Harvard resident who served in the Army; singer and creative writer Cal Shummon, a Chicago resident who served in the Army and Navy; singer Angela Walker, a Lake Bluff resident who served in the Army; and singer Mike Richardson, who served in the Army and was a national finalist in the competition in 2014.

Sarpy's song, with music written by friend Matthew Alsiel, gets to the heart of combat, he said.

"My song is more relatable to the average veteran," Sarpy said. "To me creating the song is therapeutic because I'm able to get that message out to veterans and to other people and it hits them in the heart."

The first verse of his song focuses on the life of Sgt. Robert "Chevy" Chevalier, who was somewhat of a mentor to Sarpy, he said.

"I start out by saying to all my soldiers in the battlefield that I hate that you died," Sarpy said of the song. "When we lost Sgt.Chevy, I cried for days. Sgt. Chevy was my platoon sergeant, killed in Iraq. He was from Flint, Mich. He was one of the greatest men I ever met in my life and he was a great mentor, leader and teacher.

"He taught me a lot of things, how to be better soldier and how to be a better man. The day he was killed I was supposed to be on that mission. I was supposed to be in his vehicle as his machine gunner, but I was off that day."

Another artist at the event, Leticia Knight, recalls growing up poor in West Texas, with her mother urging her children to entertain themselves by creating home projects.

"She would have us think of something we'd like to do and then we'd do it," Knight said. "I did drawings and paintings, mostly drawings, and I took art classes in middle school and then in high school."

Knight felt she wouldn't make a living as an artist and enlisted in the Army. A resident of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., and an employee at Lovell, Knight returned to her artistic roots and has entered the festival for the fourth time.

Her art has garnered several awards, including first place in painting, in the inter-service competition.

Gartland said expression and rehabilitation through art "are quality of life issues for veterans. Residents report a higher quality of life, expressing themselves throughout different mediums, and they're able to connect with other veterans as well."

Bottom line, said Gartland, "is that (artistic expression therapy) is a confidence builder, a self-esteem builder. We use it throughout the year to draw people out, to give them tools and one-on-one time to explore (answers to problems)."